Banner turned around in confusion, only to see Xiao Han casually wave his hand.
A new portal suddenly opened beneath General Ross's feet.
"What?!"
Before Ross could even react, his entire body plunged into the swirling golden vortex.
Banner's eyes widened.
"Xiao! What was that?"
For a brief instant, the other side of the portal became visible.
A scorching African desert.
A dilapidated mining camp.
Workers in ragged clothes swung pickaxes beneath the blazing sun while overseers lashed them mercilessly with whips.
The next second, the portal snapped shut.
General Ross had completely disappeared.
Only then did Xiao Han turn toward Banner, speaking calmly.
"You didn't want to kill him. I respect your choice."
"But I don't like the way he treated me."
Banner opened his mouth, yet found himself speechless.
Wanda couldn't help laughing.
"So... General Ross is off to experience life as a miner?"
Kara folded her arms with interest.
"And that mine is...?"
"A blood diamond mine somewhere in West Africa," Xiao Han replied casually.
"No communication equipment. No military."
"Just sixteen hours of hard labor every day."
He looked at Banner.
"That's already merciful."
Banner remained silent for a long moment before finally shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"Anyone who stands against you should be terrified."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Xiao Han stepped into another portal first.
"Let's go home."
Wanda hurried after him.
Kara glanced thoughtfully at the place where Ross had vanished and murmured softly,
"The rules of this world... are rather interesting."
As the last trace of golden light faded away, silence once again returned to the military base.
Thousands of miles away, in an African mining camp...
General Ross crawled out of the sand, covered in dust.
Before he could regain his footing—
Crack!
An overseer's whip lashed across his back.
"New guy! Quit slacking!"
"If you don't dig up twenty carats today, don't even think about eating!"
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
A golden portal opened inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s command center.
Xiao Han, Wanda, Kara, and Banner stepped through.
Tony Stark, who had been analyzing data in front of a holographic display, looked up.
He froze for a second before exclaiming dramatically,
"Whoa. Your entrances are getting more and more ridiculous."
He walked over and sized Banner up.
"Dr. Banner, you look... uh... much healthier than I expected."
Banner adjusted his glasses with a helpless smile.
"I was nearly turned into another military experiment. I'm exhausted."
Tony patted him on the shoulder.
"Welcome back, science partner."
Without wasting time on small talk, Xiao Han got straight to the point.
"Tony. It's time for you to take responsibility."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is under your command now."
"You'll be responsible for Banner's safety."
"If anyone wants to harm him..."
"...let Hulk and Adam teach them a lesson."
Tony spread his hands.
"Ross won't be easy to explain."
"There's no need."
"He isn't coming back."
Xiao Han interrupted him.
"The video has already been released."
"The entire world now knows that the military hunted down a hero who once saved the Earth."
Tony blinked.
"Wait, what video?"
"JARVIS, and you didn't bother telling me?"
JARVIS immediately projected Xiao Han's worldwide declaration into the air.
After watching it, Tony's mouth twitched.
"You're becoming more and more like a supervillain, Xiao."
Xiao Han remained expressionless.
"I simply helped them recognize reality."
Standing nearby, Kara curiously looked around S.H.I.E.L.D.'s advanced facilities.
"So this is basically your world's Justice League headquarters?"
"More or less."
Tony shrugged.
"But we're cooler."
"At least none of our teammates have a habit of turning evil."
Banner sighed.
"So... what now?"
Tony's playful expression faded.
"Simple."
"You officially join S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Research Division."
"I'll give you the highest-level laboratory clearance."
He winked.
"And while we're at it, we can continue developing Hulkbuster Armor Version 1.0."
"You know..."
"It's technically for your own benefit."
Banner smiled helplessly.
"You're really persistent."
Xiao Han looked toward Tony.
"If the government causes trouble..."
"I'm ready to send them to meet God at any time."
Tony rolled his eyes.
"There you go again."
"I'm still the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., remember?"
"If the government gets out of line, I'll simply leak all the classified data about their embezzled military funding and illegal human experimentation."
Xiao Han nodded.
"Good."
He turned to leave.
"Wait."
Tony suddenly called after him.
"You're just leaving?"
Xiao Han glanced back.
"Something else?"
Tony pointed toward Kara.
"Aren't you going to introduce the new teammate?"
"Even though I already know who she is."
Kara smiled politely.
"Kara Zor-El."
"A Kryptonian."
Tony dramatically clutched his chest.
"Another Superman?!"
"JARVIS, hurry and get me some Kryptonite for self-defense!"
Xiao Han ignored him entirely and opened another portal.
"We're leaving."
Wanda waved cheerfully.
"Don't forget—you still owe us dinner!"
Kara studied Tony for a moment before commenting,
"You look like you're forty."
"But you talk like you're twenty."
The three of them disappeared into the golden vortex.
Only Tony and Banner remained behind.
Tony let out a long sigh.
"Well..."
"I just got roasted."
"And things have officially become a huge mess."
Banner adjusted his glasses.
"Which part?"
"The fact that Xiao publicly threatened the military..."
"Or the fact that we now have a female Superman?"
Tony grinned.
"Both sound pretty exciting, don't they?"
Washington, D.C. White House Underground Conference Room
Seated at an oval conference table, President Trump solemnly flipped through a classified document while lightly tapping the tabletop with his fingers.
Across from him sat several mysterious figures dressed in black robes.
Their faces were hidden in the shadows.
Only their cold eyes could be seen beneath the dim lighting.
"The Superhuman Registration Act?"
The President looked up, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Do you have any idea how much chaos this legislation will cause if it's released?"
The mysterious man seated in the center slowly spoke in a low, raspy voice.
"Chaos?"
"Mr. President..."
"This world is already out of control."
"Superman."
"The Hulk."
"Mutants."
"And countless other so-called heroes."
"Their power far exceeds the government's ability to control them."
"They can threaten national security whenever they choose."
The President let out a cold laugh.
"So you want me to sign legislation requiring every superhuman to register with the government?"
"Anyone who refuses becomes a criminal?"
"And then what?"
"You'll be the ones responsible for capturing them?"
"To be honest..."
"I've considered something like this before."
"Exactly."
The mysterious man leaned forward slightly, revealing a confident smile.
"And we will ensure order."
The President slammed both hands onto the table and stood.
"On what authority?!"
"Who are you people?!"
"What gives you the right to tell the United States government what to do?!"
Whoosh!
The mysterious man's eyes suddenly glowed with a crimson light.
An overwhelming, invisible pressure instantly filled the room.
The President's breathing froze.
He was absolutely certain—
If he uttered another word...
This man would kill him without hesitation.
"Because..."
"We understand the true threat far better than you do."
The mysterious voice was no longer disguised.
It carried an unnaturally cold resonance.
The President's face turned deathly pale.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
His legs trembled as he stumbled backward and collapsed into his chair.
"I..."
"I understand."
He swallowed with difficulty.
"The Act..."
"...will be announced soon."
The crimson glow gradually faded from the mysterious man's eyes as he sat back down.
"A wise decision, Mr. President."
The group silently rose to their feet and left the conference room.
Only the President remained, sitting motionless.
The classified document in his hands had already been soaked through with cold sweat.
After a long silence, he pressed the intercom.
His voice was hoarse.
"Prepare the meeting."
"We're moving forward with legislation for the Superhuman Registration Act."